@yabooknerdlibrarian Prom! Did you go to your prom? I did not. I’m chatting about a fun prom thriller today! #prom #thriller #yabooks #booktok @Lisa Schroeder @Get Underlined ♬ original sound - Jennifer @YA Book Nerd 📚📚📚
* Sequel to See You on a Starry Night *Juliet is settling in to her new town. She's happy to have friends, but she misses her old life - mostly her dad and her best friend. But there are perks to her new town too - the beach, her friends, the ice cream shop, the bookmobile, and the Starry Beach Club. The club tries to help make wishes for others come true.My Thoughts: I really enjoyed this sequel; I liked spending more time with these characters. I loved getting to know Carmen more. I felt so sad for her and her family and for their fears of deportation. I wish we could change things to make the world safe for everyone. But there isn't any easy answers, which comes across in the story.
When Juliet and her friends hear that the bookmobile might be closing, they're devastated. They come up with a plan to stop it from happening. But nothing seems to be working.
Finally they come up with a brilliant idea - a craft fair. Emma and Carmen want Juliet to sell her paintings. The idea makes Juliet nervous. What if no one buys them? What if everyone hates them?
Carmen has a secret that she's holding on to tightly. When she finally reveals it, Juliet feels guilty for her own feelings. Can she summon her bravery and help Carmen feel better, let go of her insecurities about her art, and find a way to help save the bookmobile?
Juliet's parents are getting a divorce; she's moved with her mother and her sister to a beach town. Right off she meets Emma; the two girls become instant best friends. Emma's writing a message in a bottle and throwing it into the ocean. She has an extra bottle for Juliet.My Thoughts: I really love this book. I loved how Emma and Juliet became friends. I adored Emma's family - they were large and loud and wonderful. I loved their interaction - from their chore list to their helping people out. I really loved their ice cream shop. I wanted to eat ice cream along with the girls. I adored the bookmobile and the couple who ran it. I enjoyed the small town charm and how everyone knows everyone else (and their business). I loved the Starry Night Club. What a wonderful way to spread kindness and good cheer. I loved how the girls searched for people to help - even just little moments of kindness. We could all use a little more kindness. And a little kindness goes a long way. I too have paintings I'd like to live in. I felt bad for Juliet and her family - how sad they were at the changes in their lives. But sometimes change is for the best; this might be one of those times. While it doesn't take place in the summer, it has a summer novel feel with plenty of tugs at the heartstring, family and friendship drama, and hope. Another winner of a middle grade novel for Lisa Schroeder.
It isn't long before Juliet receives a message - one from someone who's gotten her bottle. The email asks if she wants to join a club - a club that grants wishes for people.
Juliet and Emma can't wait to make someone's dream come true - but who can they help? It can't be just a simple wish. Focusing on someone else's happiness allows Juliet's mind to focus on something other than her unhappiness.
This week's topic is books you loved the year you started blogging. I started this blog in the fall of 2008. Before that, i was talking about books on MySpace (remember that?). I cringe at my early posts, but I leave them because they show me how far I've come as a blogger (hopefully). So here are books I read and loved that year!
Lindy isn't thrilled about her homework for the summer. She's supposed to figure out her true passion in hopes of making things easier when it comes time to pick out high schools. Lindy doesn't know her passion and she's jealous of some of her friends who seem to have it figured out.My Thoughts: I really liked this one, which isn't a surprise because I love this author. I liked that Lindy is adopted. It adds to the drama about discovering her passion, making her wish she knew more about her birth parents. I love how Lindy looked around the city for her passion with the help of a family friend. I loved her friendship with Tyler and of course his dog. I loved Lindy's journal writing. I liked how Lindy doubted herself, but came to realize her strengths. Another great middle grade read.
Plus, her parents moved across town to open and Bed and Breakfast. They're fighting all the time because no one has booked a reservation.
Lindy's new friend Tyler is visiting his grandmother for a month because his parents are going through a rough patch. Meeting him makes Lindy worry about her parent's future.
Library Recommendation: Grab this one and hand it to kids who are unsure of their passions or filled with self doubt.
My Thoughts: I love the at Phoebe wants to become closer to her sister and I love the fact that she traipses all over London to do it. I enjoyed reading about the past sisters and how Phoebe discovered clues to the spell. I enjoyed the tie in with Nora. I really liked the moments between Alice and Phoebe - both the fighting and the good times. Of course it made me want to travel to London.While she was in Paris, Phoebe found a vintage compact. Inside, she discovers a letter to a sister. With relations at an all time low with her sister, Phoebe's intrigued. When the letter mentions a secret spell to bring people closer together, Phoebe knows that she has to complete the spell - even if it takes a few lies.She convinces her good friend Ned to help her. After all Alice is leaving for college soon, if they don't solve their problems, Phoebe's afraid she'll lose her sister.
Violet has never known life outside the tower -except for a few stolen moments in the garden. She's always hungry and cold, but she never lets her misfortunes shape her.My Thoughts: I really enjoyed this book! I'm such a fan of the authors that it was a must read for me. I liked the dreamy aspect of it, it reminded me of The Little Princess. I enjoyed the multiple perspectives from Violet, the birds, Violet's parents, and even the queen.
When the queen learns about her stolen moments in the garden with the hummingbirds flocking around her, everything changes for Violet. She's offered a place in the palace and a chance to become a Princess.
For the first time, she's warm enough, she has a cozy bed to sleep in, and she has a enough food to fill her stomach. What she doesn't have is her mother. And she doesn't know the queen's secretly plotting against her.
Final Thoughts: Readers of fairy tales will take delight in this enchanting charming read. Add this one to your reading list!
The end of the world is coming - Emerson and Vince are counting down the minutes. They've lived on the streets together for years and they want to die together. They make a choice about how their lives will end, by jumping off a bridge together.My Thoughts: I Loved this book. It had many fantastic passages. I thought I had taken a picture of them, but it turns out that didn't happen.) The two that struck home for me were about the library and the carousel.
But they meet a man who changes their mind. He talked about helping people with his last moments. He gives the two teens his wallet in hopes that they pay it forward.
That moment changes Everything.
Instead of jumping, they do as he requested helping a couple find romance, rescuing kids, and brightening lives. Vince wants Emerson to find and reconnect with her family, He also wouldn't mind sharing his feelings for Emerson with her. Can the end of the world really change your life?
Final Thoughts: A fantastic book that made me think of my hopes and dreams and what I want out of life. And maybe more importantly, what I can do to make lives better for others.
Since coming back from BEA, I've decided that I need to change my reading habits. I need to start reading the ARCs and worry less about the library books for right now, except of course for the hot books coming out that I need immediately.My Librarian friend Jess from I Read to Relax came up with a great idea. It's to highlight the books on hold at the library. I usually have 20-40 items checked out at the library and another 20 items on hold.
This week's topic is Ten Authors I REALLY Want To Meet - thanks for library conferences, BEA, and RJ Julia's I've meet a ton of fantastic authors. It's a mix of YA and Adult authors, Left to meet are...
